Youth & School Programs
Inspire Young Minds:
Engaging Nature Programs for Environmental Stewardship
Our school programs are engaging, small-group experiences that satisfy Colorado Science Academic Standards. Our in-school classes and outdoor field trips show the connections that permeate nature while empowering and inspiring students to become environmental stewards.
Have questions? Please email kristen@denveraudubon.org or call 720-214-0673.
Classroom Programs
We bring the science to you!
For our in-school programs, our educators come to your classroom or gymnasium.
Program length:
1 hour per class (up to 27 students)
Program fee:
$150 per class for 1st two classes, $100 per class for any additional classes on the same day.
NIGHT NINJAS: OWLS
(GRADES K-5)
What superpowers enable owls to hunt so efficiently at night? Students will examine the wings, feet, skulls, and beaks of taxidermied Great Horned Owls and dissect owl pellets to uncover the secrets behind their ninja-like skills.
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science LS1:A and LS1:B.
BIRD ADAPTATIONS
(GRADES K-8)
Get up close and personal with our bird skins (taxidermy) and skulls and explore the connection between form and function. Discover how adaptations help birds survive through investigation of specialized beaks, talons, and colors. (Does not include live animals.)
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science LS1:A and LS1:B.
LIFE IN THE POND
(GRADES K-4)
Explore the adaptations that make animals perfectly suited for life in the pond. Meet live animal ambassadors and design your own beaver dam as we uncover how animals thrive both on land and in water.
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science LS1:A and LS1:B.
Exploring Life Cycles
(Grades 1-3)
Explore the fascinating journey from egg to larvae, to pupae, and finally to adult! Using our live darkling beetles, students will independently observe, touch, and identify each stage of the life cycle. We’ll also compare the insect life cycle to that of a spider with our live tarantula, exploring the differences and similarities between these life cycles.
In September, October, and April the program includes an insect safari at your school where students use sweep nets to find insects and observe the stages of the life cycle in the outdoors. Program is 1 hour 15 minutes with the insect safari.
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science LS1:A and LS1:B.
Outdoor Field Trips
Our Nature Center is an urban oasis with bald eagles, beavers, deer, and so many birds!
Immerse yourself in the streams, forests, and ponds while you explore hands-on science. After your program, stay for lunch in our amphitheater to take in all the sights and sounds of the park.
BIRD BANDING:
SCIENCE IN ACTION
(GRADES K-12)
During April and May, get up close with wild birds at our nature center at our bird banding station! Explore migration, nesting, and conservation as we scoop in the pond, build nests, and observe bird biologists in action as they band birds. The program includes a pre-trip classroom presentation and a field trip.
See our Bird Banding Field Trip Information for more details.
Program time: 1 hour in classroom before the trip, 3-3.5 hour field trip
Program fee: New school discount: $350 per class. Max 2 classes at one time.
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science 2.1 and 2.3.
Life in the Pond Field Trip (GRADES K-4)
A classroom favorite! Get your hands wet as we use nets to discover aquatic insects, tadpoles, and other animals, while exploring their unique adaptations for survival. Meet live animal ambassadors, visit an active beaver habitat, and engineer your own beaver dam. Join us to uncover the secrets of life in the pond!
Program time: 2 hours
Program fee: $200 per class (up to 27 students). Max 2 classes at one time.
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science 2.1 and 2.2.
BUSY BEAVERS
(GRADES K-4)
Discover how beavers construct lodges, their diet, and their adaptations to both aquatic and terrestrial environments. Visit an active beaver habitat and explore the impact beavers have on the South Platte Basin ecosystem.
Program time: 2 hours
Program fee: $200 per class (up to 27 students). Max 2 classes at one time.
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science 2.1 and 2.2.
Birding Adventures
(GRADES K-12)
Use binoculars to spot signs of birds and wildlife as we hike along the trails. Explore bird adaptations and migration by dissecting owl pellets and uncovering the secrets of how birds survive.
Program time: 2 hours
Program fee: $200 per class (up to 27 students). Max 2 classes at one time.
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science 2.1 and 2.3.
H2O Outdoors
(GRADES 4-12)
Explore the impact and importance of water through activities like water quality testing, watershed models, and pond exploration. Design your own water filtration system, collect aquatic insects as indicators of water quality, and meet live animal ambassadors that depend on our watershed for survival.
Program time: 3 hours
Program fee: $250 per class (up to 27 students). Max 2 classes at one time.
Satisfies Colorado Academic Standards for Science 2.1 and 2.2.
Birds & Conservation
Birds & Conservation (B&C)
is a 4-part series program that teaches why healthy watersheds are critical to birds and all living organisms, and how our actions can protect this vital Colorado resource.
Classes can also be stand-alone programs at school or at the Nature Center.
Meets 2020 CAS: Life Science, 2.5, 2.7, 2.11, 2.12 Earth & Space Science 3.6, 3.8, 3.10, 3.11
The series includes three classes at your school and a service-learning project at at the Nature Center. Each classroom program lasts 1 hour, the service project is 2.5 hours.
Choose any THREE of these classes:
- Water – watersheds, point source and non-point source pollution, design a water filter
- Ecosystems – roles and engineers in ecosystems, native and invasive species
- Animal Adaptations – how animals survive and adapt, includes visits with live turtle and salamander
- Albatross & Bolus Dissection – includes hands-on dissection of a bolus (undigested materials) so students can see for themselves how birds are literally eating our trash.
Conservation Project
At the conclusion of the classroom sessions, students put their knowledge to work as they visit the Nature Center to complete a service project to improve the health of our watersheds and birds.
Optional field trip:
If you choose, we can also lead your students through a water quality field trip down at our nature center on the S. Platte River and or our ponds. During this field trip we teach your students how to test water quality using both chemical tab tests and Macroinvertebrate indexing.
Videos of Previous B&C Projects
2021 River Bank Stabilization
2020 Cigarette Ballot Bin
2019 Erosion Control
